37800 Cassiopeia approaches the Portway (north of Tamworth), taking ex-Southeastern "Networker" EMUs 465244 and 465246 for scrap. The working is 5Q66 08.52 Ely Papworth Sidings - Kingsbury European Metals Recycling, which had just set off from its booked one hour and forty minutes stop in Elford Loop.
Having photographed this working east of Syston Jn., I'd considered chasing it to either Willington or Barton-under-Needwood. I initially thought I would have plenty of time, assuming the train did not run early south of Stenson Jn., but when it reached me half an hour late I wondered if it might not get there in time; I thought it might make up some time (it made up about fifteen minutes), in which case I might not get there in time - especially as I had to walk back to the car from the bridge - and, if it didn't make up time, I thought the sun might be getting too far round. There were a couple of DB freight workings not very far behind the late 5Q66 at Syston (the Corby steel and then the Felixstowe to East Midlands Gateway container train), so I stayed on the bridge for those and didn't rush off; there was also quite a lot of high cloud coming over from the west.
I realised, however, that if 5Q66 took all of its pathing stop at Elford then I would easily make it to Portway, where the sun would by then be far enough round. If it set off from Elford reasonable on time, then I'd also make it back across to Loughborough for 66601. Google reckoned a driving time from Syston to Elford of around an hour, and the weather app suggested the high cloud would pass over, so I decided to give it a go - although I waited until I saw on signalling maps that 5Q66 had indeed gone into Elford Loop before setting off (popping into Tesco to grab a meal deal and then eating it while waiting)!
When I arrived, there were a few people already here and we could clearly see 37800 in the distance. There were a couple of freights which went past 5Q66 (as well as several passenger trains), and then 5Q66 began to move... very slowly! A Cross Country 170 was just departing northbound from Tamworth, and we were for a short time concerned it might block our view of 37800 and the EMUs, but the 37 was accelerating so slowly that the DMU was well out of the way - for us, at least: we think someone else, in the dip the other side of the cutting at the back of the train, might not have been so lucky. We were also lucky with the sun, as it cleared the main patch of high cloud not long before the train began to move, but then hit a smaller patch a little later.
I hung on a little longer, for a convoy of preserved locos returning home after the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway diesel gala, and then set off for Loughborough, getting there in plenty of time for 66601.
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37800 Cassiopeia approaches the Syston Bypass road bridge, taking ex-Southeastern "Networker" EMUs 465244 and 465246 for scrap. The working is 5Q66 08.52 Ely Papworth Sidings - Kingsbury European Metals Recycling, which was running about half an hour behind schedule.
This working was one of two main targets for today. Closer to home, the only place where the sun was on the front was beside the river at Ely (after it had reversed at Ely station), but I didn't want to risk going there in case it reversed out of Papworth Sidings and didn't go to the station, plus the lineside vegetation last time I was there required extending the pole to full height. So I decided to go west of Melton Mowbray, which also put me in position for my second target later in the afternoon (66601).
If this had been on time, the first place the sun would have been "on the nose" was East Goscote (Broome Lane). But before going there, I quickly checked out this spot, having heard that the lineside was no longer clear of bushes; driving past slowly (both ways) it looked OK (apart from further back), but I went to East Goscote anyway - and then wondered if the whole train would fit in the space between me and the line of trees in the background. So I came here, only to wonder the same thing, and also realised there were straggly bits of bush blocking the view in a few places. By then it was too late to go back to Broome Lane.
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73963 Janice leads 1Q79 09.11 Tonbridge West Yard - Derby RTC past Cow Roast (between Cheddington and Tring). 73962 Dick Mabbutt is on the rear. [Pole, 3/6 sections (~4m)]
After photographing the Hastings DEMU on the East West Rail line, there was plenty of time to drive here for this - a relatively unusual working, as these trains normally run all the way via the Midland Main Line. However, planned weekend engineering work between West Hampstead and Luton meant the train was rescheduled to run via north from London via the West Coast Main Line to Bletchley and then across to the Midland at Bedford - giving the unusual sight of a former Southern region electro-diesel running under the WCML wires. This is a Colas working, albeit using GBRf locos.
It was only after I'd set up, long after the train had left Wembley Yard, that I'd taken a bit gamble coming here: the frequency of trains on the Fast Lines meant I could very easily have had the shot blocked by another train. Thankfully that didn't occur.
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"The East West DEMU" charter train, promoted by Hastings Diesels Ltd. and operated by GBRf, approaches the Sandhill Road overbridge west of Verney Junction. This is the first part of the return leg, 1Z50 14.11 Milton Keynes Central - Bicester Village, passengers having about an hour and a half in Bicester before the train continued on as 1Z51 16.30 to Hastings.
The train formation is:
• DMBS S60119.
• TSL S60529
• ex-4CEP TSL 70262
• ex-4BIG TSRB 69337
• TSL S60528
• DMBS S60118 Tunbridge Wells
• DMBS S60116 Mountfield
• TSL S60501
• DMBS S60000 Hastings
The bridge in the background has replaced the foot crossing immediately west of the old station, the location junction of the branch to Buckingham. I took a burst of shots when the train was in this position in order to show the curvature of the line and the new bridge, but also took a burst with the train much closer (with the front beyond the tree on the left) but not showing the line disappearing into the distance. In addition to the 16:9 ratio crop, this has also been cropped a little on the left; my next prime lens was just too long!
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"The East West DEMU" charter train, promoted by Hastings Diesels Ltd. and operated by GBRf, heads east along the East-West Rail line near the village of Steeple Claydon, passing the loops from which a connection will be built into the HS2 track construction and maintenance depot. This is the outward leg, 1Z49 09.02 Hastings - Milton Keynes Central, which had already set down passengers at Bicester Village.
After reaching Milton Keynes, the train reversed fairly quickly and returned by the same route, although there was a break for everyone of about an hour and a half at Bicester Village.
As there were no locations where the sun was on the front of the train for this leg, I'd originally intended to go a going-away shot. But the view the other way (see this photo) showed the HS2 construction site, so I decided to do an approaching shot and then rush across the very quiet road to get it. Unfortunately, the traffic had other ideas and as the train approached I realised there was a tractor approaching, which would pass me as the train went under the bridge. I considered crossing the road for this view and not bothering with the approaching shot, but decided to try for both...
I did have to wait for the tractor to pass, as well as one car behind it, and then I rushed across before a second car had caught up the first. I'd intended standing closer to the bridge and more head-on, but as soon as I crossed the road (further from the bridge than I'd intended, as that saved vital seconds) I pointed the camera and pressed the shutter. I'd turned off the autofocus for the approaching shot and, unfortunately, the focusing ring must have moved marginally as I rushed across the road: the burst of images were not completely sharp. So I've reduced the resolution and used the auto sharpen tool (along with a bit of selective noise reduction on the sides and roof of the train, to remove the noise I'd just introduced), which has produced something which is quite acceptable unless you enlarge it significantly - and I suspect it's as good as anything I'd have produced from my first digital camera.
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